Jaga JazzistLive With Britten Sinfonia

Jaga Jazzist have always had an immersive sound, and it's grown in grandiosity over the years. This majesty is elegantly enhanced in their collaboration with the renowned Britten Sinfonia, and feels more natural than the Metropole Orkest's mesmerizing take on Basement Jaxx (released in 2011). Despite the rich textures available to the Norwegian electronic-jazz collective, whose mingling with the Sinfonia fleshed out their numbers from nine to several dozen talented musicians, the performance shows almost as much restraint as audacity. "For All You Happy People" bookends a sweet shuffle with sparse, haunting strings seemingly designed to allow the listener to breathe midway through the experience. Of course, the group's principle orchestrator, Lars Horntveth, takes full advantage of the vast array of timbres available, particularly on the stunning 15-minute version of "One-Armed Bandit" that opens the record and the exuberant reading of "Oslo Skyline" that closes it. It's a dynamic album, one so vibrant that listeners can easily envision themselves at the Barbican witnessing all the musicians mesh in the creation of something grand.
(Ninja Tune)